Apparatus for producing wire-ring fabric.



0. A. RICHTER. APPARATUS FOR PRODUGING WIRE RING FABRIC.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 4, 1911. 1,100,098. Patented June 16,1914.

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c. A. RICHTER. APPARATUS FOR. PRODUCING WIRE RING FABRIC. APPLICATIONFILED AUG. 4, 1911. 1,100,098, 1 Patented June 16,1914.

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G. A. RICHTER. APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING WIRE RING FABRIC. APPLICATIONIILED AUG. 4, 1911.

1,100,098. 'P atented June 16,1914.

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. dif 7 UNITED STATES PATENT oFin E.

CARL A. RICHTER, or PFORZI-IEIM, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO THE FIR-M orFRIEDRICH sCHMoLCK, or PFORZHEIM, GERMANY.

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING WIRE-RING FABRIC.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL A. RICHTER, a subject of the German Emperor,residing at Pforzheim, Badelnin Germany, have 1n vented certain new anduseful Improve ments in Apparatus for Producing Wire Ring Fabric, ofwhich the following is afabric, so that each top convolution engages.

two adjacent rings previously produced, the advance of the helices beingperpendicular to the row, whereupon the several convolutions are severedand the ends of the same united, this operation being repeated with thefollowing convolutions after the fabric has been moved laterally. In thefirst instance each wire is wound around a rotatable spindle, and thecoils are rotated so that the uppermost Convolution of each wire helixbecomes engaged with the fixed blade of a pair of shears, the rotationcontinuing until the end of the coil reaches a stop, when it is pressedby a spring onto the top of the fixed blade and held in this positionuntil the other blade of the shears rises and severs the coil, whereuponthe severed end of the convolution is forced up until both ends of thering lie in the same plane. This new method lends itself to more rapidand better work than was possible with the previously known methods andapparatus.

Apparatus for carrying the improved method into effect is shown in theannexed drawings, with reference to which the invention will now bedescribed.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of part of the machine; Fig. 1 a detailthereof in section perpendicular to Fig. 1; Fig. 2 a vertical transversesection of Fig. 1; Fig. 2 a section similar to Fig. 2, but to a largerscale; Fig. 2 a plan view of certain of the parts shown in Fig. 2*. F g.2 a side view of a detail of the apparatus, partly in section; Fig. 2 aplan view of Fig. 2. Fig. 3 a section of Fig. 1 on the l1ne 12; Fig. 4.a plan of Fig. 2, some parts being omitted for the sake of clearness;Fig. 5 is a view drawn to a larger scale for Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed August 4, 1911.

dles; Figs. 11 and cutter actuating mechanism.

Patented June 16, 1914. Serial No. 642,328.

illustrating the addition of the links; Fig. 6 1s a vlew of a movableframe carrying the ring fabric; Fig. 7 is a side view of part of thecutter; Fig. 7 is an end elevation of one of the cutters, and Fig. 7 aplan of Fig. 7; Fig. 8 is a view of the wire coillng apparatus, drawn toa larger scale; Fig. 8 is an'elevation of part of the mechanism forfeeding the coils, and Fig. 8 is a plan view thereof; Figs. 9 and 10 arediagrammatical views, showing two different arrangements of the wirecoiling spin- 12 show details of the The apparatus illustrated comprisesa serles of spindles 2 (of which there may be any desired number) onwhich the wires 1 are wound to form the helices 3. Each of the spindlesis actuated by a short shaft, which carries a toothed wheel 14: (Fig. 8)and the end 14 of which is screwed into a correspondingly tapped plate15 so that the toothed wheel is raised or lowered when rotated, theother end of the shaft being bored axially to receive the spindle 2 andbeing carried. loosely in another horizontal plate 16 to the upper faceof which is fixed a third plate 17, the latter having a bore 17 a ofsuitable diameter to enable the said vertically disposed spindle 2withwire thereon to rotate freely, the wire being fed to the spindle atright angles to the latter through a bore 18 provided in the plate 17.The upper ends of the spindles lie in holes 21 in a plate 21. If thespindles are arranged in a circle the several toothed wheels 14: aremeshed with a larger toothed wheel 22 which, when rotated by a shaft 19,drives the smaller wheels and in so doing causes the spindles 2 to riseby reason of the screwed ends 14c turning in their tapped sockets. Thewire coiled around each spindle 2 is in this case held firmly thereon bya friction wheel 20, which has a soft rubber face 20 The friction wheel20 is fixed to the shaft 19, which has at its lower end a ratchet wheel19 (Figs. 8' and 8") engaged with a pawl 19 held against the wheel by aspring 19,

so that rotation of the shaft in one direction tated by friction withthe wire being coiled on the spindles, but during the descent of thespindles the wheel 20 cannot rotate in the opposite direction, and itsrubber face thus retains the wire coil formed in its raised position.The Wire is thus drawn in and coiled around the spindles when the latterrise, but is held stationary as the spindles descend to their originalpositions. spindles are arranged in a straight row, the rotation thereofmay be effected as shown in Fig. 9 vby means of two parallel bars 100,101 provided; with racks engaged with an actuating pinion 102 by meansof which they are reciprocated in opposite directions. The bars 100, 101are provided with rubber facings which bear against the coils on thespindles with sufficient friction to rotate the coils while the spindlesrise. WVhile the spindles descend the coils are held at the top, as willbe described hereinafter, and the friction of the rubber facings is notsufficient to pull the coils down while the spindles descend.

The wire helix 3 fed upward by the spindle 2 enters a semicircularrecess 4 (Figs. 7, 7 7 in a plate 5 forming one blade of a pair ofshears, whence it coils up around the edge of the plate onto an inclinedsurface 6 on said plate, the slope of which surface corresponds withthat of the wire; the helix then passes through a wedge shaped groove 7at the upper end of the 7 said inclined surface on the blade, andleaving this groove passes after a further quarter turn through a ringof the previously manufactured ring fabric 30 (Fig. 2 and after anotherhalf turn through the next adjacent ring and "then finally aftercompleting the last quarter of a turn passes onto a projection 7 overthe said groove 7 and butts with its ends cf (Figs. 2, 2*, 2) against a.

stop 8 which projects toward the vertically depending manufacturedfabric, said stop being formed on a vertical slide plate 8. The wirehelix then remains stationary and is held fast by a slide 9 whichdescends and by means of depending springs 10 thereon holds the firstconvolution firmly on the projection 7. Thereupon, a movable blade 11,sliding vertically at the side of the fixed blade 5, severs the firstwire convolution at the narrower end of the wedge shaped groove 7 in thefixed blade; the plate 8 then rises and the further upward movement ofthe sliding blade pushesthe severed end i (Fig. 2 of the convolution upuntil it registers with the other end of the convolution. The latter isthus flattened out, to form a' completev ring in position in the fabric.The sliding blade and the slide 9 return to their original positions andrelease the links. The mechanism for actuating the blade 11 is shown inFigs. 11 and 12. The blade has lateral projections 11 whereby it isengaged If the with slotted arms of double armed levers 35, the otherarms of which are connected by links 34 to levers 32 pivoted at 33. Thelevers 82 are depressed, for raising the blade, by cams 30 on a shaft31. The blade descends by gravity.

In fitting the rings in position as hereinbefore described, at thecommencement of the operations, the intermediate rings of, a a, in theseries a a, a a a", a, a, (Fig. 6) are omitted, and then the framecarrying the fabric is moved laterally to the extent of one rin-diameter so that the gaps are placed immediately above the wirehelices, whereupon during the next operation of the apparatus themissing links are inserted in this row.

The object of forming the row of rings in two operations as described,that is to say, of forming alternate rings at each operation, is toavoid excessive closeness of the spindles and the parts coactingtherewith. If the number of rings is uneven, as in the exampleillustrated, one ring will be wasted at each second operation.

After formation of the row of rings as described, the verticallydepending fabric supported by the frame 12 is raised so that thesaid-row of rings is correctly positioned for the succeeding row a a, a,a a, a, a, to be fitted.

In the following row the new links will be displaced with respect to theprevious row to the extent of half the diameter of the rings, so thatthe centers of new links lie intermediate of the previously fittedlinks. For this purpose the frame 12 carrying the fabric is shiftedlaterally to the extent of half a ring-diameter for adding the rings of,a, a, a, and is then moved in the opposite direction to the extent ofone ringdiameter for adding rings a), a a, in the gaps.

The shear blades are arranged in a straight line or in a circleaccording to the formation to be given to the fabric. The fixed shearblades, having the semicircular recesses as described, also serve asguides for the helices and for this reason are cut away at the oppositeside to the recess and are curved at the beginning of the set-back as at5 so that when the fixed blades are placed in their correct positionside by side the said curve forms a quadrant with, and of the sameradius as, the semicircular recess 4 in the base of the adjacent blade.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent ofthe United States is In apparatus for producing fabric composed ofinterlinked wire rings, the combination of a fabric supporting frame,means for collectively feeding parallel coils of wire toward said frameand rotating such coils about their axes, said axes being substan- 10said foremost convolutions after their engagement with the fabric and toflatten the convolutions which they have severed.

In witness whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo witnesses.

CARL A. RICHTER.

Witnesses:

A. O. TITTMANN, i S. H. SHANK.

copies of thil patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner 01' ratents,

v Washington, D. 0.

